


On Top of the World

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [24]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Concerts, M/M, Romance, Touring, Visual Kei, album release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 05:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16570325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: As Renji starts off his first cross-country tour with Black Moon, Byakuya releases his first album to positive reception.





	On Top of the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> Once more, the songs will be in the text to help provide the mood for this instalment.
> 
> I also made a few changes regarding the tour dates so that the timeline can flow better. That being said, I hope you enjoy!

It had been a little difficult getting out of bed to get ready for the trip to Yokosuka. For one, Renji had to pull himself away from Byakuya’s embrace before he could get ready. Add the fact that their train left at six-twenty in the morning and Renji had to wake up at four-thirty a.m. and he really was having a tough time.

It was also cold. But Renji just forced himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and to take care of his usual toiletries. Once he was done, Renji changed into the clothes he’d laid out for the train journey today before heading into the kitchen to make some tea and heat up some leftover noodles from last night’s dinner. It would sustain him for the morning, he decided.

Just as Renji poured his tea into a mug, he heard quiet footsteps approaching the kitchen and he turned around to see Byakuya in the doorway, a bathrobe around his figure. “You’re leaving already?” he asked, his voice still laced with sleep.

“My train leaves at six-twenty,” Renji told him. “I have to be at the station before then. You can go back to sleep, though. Don’t you have an autograph session and meeting today?”

Byakuya nodded. “Yes, I do,” he said. “But that isn’t until later today.”

“But you still need your energy for it, don’t you?” Renji pointed out with a playful smile on his face. “Go sleep, Byakuya.”

Byakuya’s eyes narrowed as he pouted slightly, much to Renji’s amusement. “No, I’m staying here,” he said.

“Alright then,” Renji chuckled as he sat down on the couch. “But my taxi comes in about twenty minutes, so I can’t stay too long.”

Seemingly content with that, Byakuya sat down next to Renji and leaned closer to him, closing his eyes. It didn’t take too long for Renji to finish his breakfast, and he just held Byakuya close for a while. He wasn’t going to see him until towards the end of January, and he was going to miss him for sure. So Renji just silently enjoyed the peace and quiet of the moment as he stared out the window, watching the snowfall outside.

About twenty minutes later, Renji got a call from the taxi driver, letting him know that he was waiting outside. So he gently pulled away from Byakuya and got up from the couch before giving Byakuya a quick kiss on his forehead. “I’m leaving now,” he said.

At that, Byakuya opened his eyes. “Have a safe trip, Renji,” he whispered before leaning up to kiss Renji.

Renji obliged, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a sweet and lingering kiss before pulling away. “See you soon,” he said softly.

With that, Renji grabbed his guitar, backpack, and duffel bag and slid on his coat and scarf before heading outside to the apartment parking lot, where the taxi was waiting for him.

The drive from the Naruki district to the Tokyo Station in the Chiyoda district didn’t take too long. When the taxi pulled up in front of the building, Renji paid the fare before grabbing his things and heading inside the station, where he saw Yoruichi, Hitsugaya, Hisagi, and Yumichika already waiting.

“Morning,” Renji greeted them.

Yoruichi smiled. “Morning, Renji,” she said. “You ready to finally kick off the tour?”

“You bet I am,” he said.

A short while later, Ichigo and Chad arrived and after passing through the first ticket gate, they all headed to the platform for the Yokosuka Line shinkansen. It was cold and Renji could actually see his breath as he shivered slightly.

This tour was going to be quite long and they would be travelling to various different prefectures for the first time. First, they were doing Yokosuka, and after that was Hachioji, Renji’s hometown, where they were performing for two nights. After that, they were going to Misato in the nearby Saitama Prefecture, and then they were going all the way down to Matsuyama and Takamatsu in the Shikoku region. Then they’d cover the Chugoku region with Hiroshima and Okayama before moving onto the Kansai region with Osaka, Wakayama, and Kobe. After a show in Sendai, they’d return to Tokyo and have a few-days break before resuming their tour on January 6th. They’d restart the tour by going to the island of Hokkaido and do Abashiri and Sapporo up there before heading back down to the Tohoku region to do Aomori and Morioka. Then they would go all the way to the Kyushu region to do Fukuoka and Kagoshima, and then travel back to the Kansai region to do Kyoto and Nara, and then the tour would be over.

God, just thinking about it made Renji start missing Byakuya.

Right then, the shinkansen pulled up to the platform and after they found their car, Renji and the others boarded the train to find their seats. Placing his backpack under the seat in front of him, he was just grabbing his headphones and phone when Hisagi sat down next to him.

“You ready for the tour?” Hisagi asked him.

“Yep,” Renji said. “It’s gonna be awesome. What about you?”

“Hell yeah, I’m ready,” Hisagi said with a slightly-crooked grin. “Can’t wait to see all our fans.”

A short while later, the train started pulling away from the platform, so Renji slid his headphones on to start listening to ‘Hakuteiken’. He was gonna listen to it for the entire trip to Yokosuka, and send his reactions as texts to Byakuya. With that in mind, Renji tapped on the album cover on his phone, starting the whole album from the beginning.

[The opening track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7zFfskBQg) was orchestral and a suitably-epic beginning for the whole album. It brought images of revolution and uprising into Renji’s mind and he remembered that the main theme for this album was eighteenth-century France, a time of political upheaval and revolution, if Renji remembered correctly. It finished with a flourish, thus leading into ‘Ikka Senjinka’ smoothly.

As expected, [‘Ikka Senjinka’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMjY2VnBTXQ) was perfect; the sound was rich and dramatic. Renji loved Byakuya’s dramatics and theatrical flair, it was honestly mesmerizing to watch and listen to, whether it was in the music video or live. And this song had sounded so good when played live. Byakuya’s voice was suitably dramatic, yet it wasn’t over-the-top, and Renji loved it all.

Next was [‘Kanade Aragai Kou’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhcPQxAqDY), opening up with those distinct shamisen notes that Byakuya had taught himself. Renji had to admit, he loved this song not just for the melody, but for the underlying passion in Byakuya’s voice. His cheeks grew warm as he remembered that night after Byakuya’s very first gig at the Meguro Rokumeikan; he’d made Byakuya sing this song as part of foreplay. Oh god, that had been so much fun, hearing how Byakuya’s voice wavered when Renji’s lips had kissed over his body… honestly, Renji wouldn’t mind doing it again.

[The song after that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZFo8uGrP0) opened up with English lyrics, surprisingly. This was the first time Renji heard Byakuya singing in English, even though he hadn’t exactly heard him speak the language. The rest of the song was in Japanese, with some English lyrics here and there; it was all about dancing at midnight in an empty room, a midnight secret, apparently. The lyrics had a sort of childlike innocence to them as well. It sounded really good and Renji just smiled slightly. He knew Byakuya would be awesome at the symphonic style of metal.

And that was only proven correctly with [the next song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU1Mwn_qrc8). It started out with a mix of fast guitar riffs and an epic orchestra sound, and it was fast. Again, Byakuya’s voice was dramatic and passionate, but Renji had to admit, he had no idea what exactly the song was about. The lyrics were very beautiful and vivid, and definitely very poetic and elegant, something about immortality, was it? And at some point, there were some harsh vocals chanting the song’s title and Renji guessed that it was Kaien doing those vocals. After all, Byakuya had said that he wasn’t capable of growling without damaging his vocal chords.

Next was a song called [‘Princesse’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzcWDejoG14). It started out slow with a violin by Tsukishima and piano by Byakuya before playing a more upbeat and gentle melody. Byakuya’s voice was gentle and sweeter as he sang about finding love in Paris. But what really made Renji smile was the first line of the chorus. Sung in English with a small French part, the words were, “you wanna be a princess gazing up to me? Into _les affaires d’amour?”._ It was honestly… cute. The lyrics were so innocent and so unabashedly romantic that Renji’s heart just melted. It seemed that Byakuya allowed a bit of his fanciful side to show in this song.

The song finished and led into [‘Yozora no Kawa’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8J5OFLtfUg), which sounded just as wonderful as always. After that was a song called [‘La Vie en Rose’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5aRWVwIYfA), which opened with a fast-paced, expressive, and symphonic melody. Yet again, the lyrics were lovely and somewhat romantic, with motifs of roses and the moon. From Renji’s understanding, the song was about how love, like a rose flower, is beautiful. Yet like the beautiful rose flower, love was also thorny. And with the addition of the themes of nobility, the song was actually quite profound.

After that was [another song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfOtCbZKfTk) with a more steady rhythm, with a theme of revolution and war. There was a hint of fear in the lyrics, as Byakuya sang about how the conflict was taking away everyone he cared about, how it was destroying the atmosphere of love, which was basically an illusion. At least, that’s what Renji understood. Byakuya’s lyrics were very complex and well-written, but still gorgeous, of course.

When the song ended, it led to the next one called [‘Noblesse’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkqfpLO7s4), which opened up with an epic orchestral melody before transitioning into a dramatic metal rhythm. This song was about questioning his noble lineage and his beliefs as Byakuya makes a choice to remain beside the one he loves. Renji really liked the way this song turned out; it was dramatic, yes, but it really showed Byakuya’s ability to write some good metal songs as well. The guitar solo was pretty awesome, and the drums were just as great.

And then Renji got to hear Byakuya’s sensual side with the next song: [‘Moulin Rouge’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aii0595JD6E). It was sultry and very much like a cabaret tune with a catchy beat and melody, and the lyrics were seductive and sensual. The song had a bit of a vampire motif in the lyrics as well, but overall, it was all about having fun and seducing someone at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Generally it was a fun song, and Renji liked it.

Before Renji knew it, he was at the twelfth song, called [‘Trésor’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXfXsRqHRr0). The only instrument in the song was a piano, and Byakuya’s voice was so loving and innocently genuine as he sang the lyrics about chasing the falling stars among the transience of a forest. It was a simple song, yet it was so lovely and sweet as it showcased Byakuya’s piano skills beautifully. Honestly, it was fascinating, how Byakuya could write and sing some very poetic and dramatic songs, and then write songs with such innocent, youthfully romantic lyrics.

And then, it was [the very last song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdS04Ye8w94). This melody was both dramatic, yet sincere at the same time, and the lyrics were again, very starry-eyed and romantic in nature. It was a love song, all about being so overwhelmed with love and affection, wanting to feel real happiness and feel the safety of that, and wanting to face the future together. It was such a wonderful song to end the album on and as it slowly faded out, Renji just smiled.

As he slid off his headphones, Renji saw Hisagi giving him a knowing smile. “What?” he asked.

“Well? How was Kuchiki Byakuya’s new album?” he asked.

“It’s awesome,” Renji said, blushing slightly. “I really like it. It sounds really well put-together, Byakuya’s voice is amazing, and well… it’s just perfect.”

Hisagi chuckled. “You’re such a sap, Renji,” he teased.

“Says you,” Renji muttered. “I mean, weren’t you waxing poetic about Muguruma Kensei’s albums? Or about Tousen Kaname’s _I am Justice_ documentary?”

“Oh, shut up,” Hisagi retorted, lightly punching Renji’s shoulder. “First of all, _I am Justice_ was awesome. I mean, it was all about Tousen-san’s influence on the Japanese music scene and society, how he became successful overseas, and it didn’t even overlook the issues he’d been struggling with for so long, it was amazing!”

“See? There you go,” Renji chuckled.

Hisagi and Renji had watched _I am Justice_ together a short while back; it was a documentary film that covered the history of Tousen Kaname’s career, his influences on Japanese music and society, and his success overseas. It also featured interviews from not only Western artists, but also from Muguruma Kensei, Unohana Retsu, Zaraki Kenpachi, and Komamura Sajin, another influential metal musician and Tousen’s childhood friend. But notably, it covered a lot of the struggles that Tousen had gone through: the death of a close female friend at her boyfriend’s hands and how that influenced him as a musician, as well as his own mental health issues and depression. It had premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and won the People’s Choice Award for Documentaries.

It had been a great film and Renji had enjoyed watching it, honestly. But still, Hisagi couldn’t really make fun of Renji for ‘waxing poetic’ about ‘Hakuteiken’ when he’d done the same for that movie.

Hisagi just rolled his eyes at Renji’s comment. “I’m just saying, it’s kind of adorable, how you’re so proud of Kuchiki Byakuya,” he said. “Maybe I should listen to ‘Hakuteiken’ as well. You know, since you’ve said how awesome it is.” He glanced at his watch. “But we’re almost at Yokosuka now.”

“Damn, already?”

“That’s the shinkansen for ya, man. Time always flies by.”

* * *

‘Hakuteiken’ had become a success. Within hours of its release, there were already many reviews praising the album and songs, and it actually managed to reach the fourth spot on the Oricon Chart this month. Not only did it get praised by bloggers and journalists like Kotetsu Isane and Ise Nanao, but it was also praised by artists like Unohana Retsu and even Tousen Kaname.

Byakuya couldn’t believe that his first album had already become this popular. And to have received praise from Unohana Retsu herself was quite thrilling.

“Well, how does it feel, Byakuya-kun?” Ukitake asked, interrupting Byakuya’s thoughts. “‘Hakuteiken’ has already become quite popular, hasn’t it?”

Right now, Byakuya was having a meeting to discuss promoting the album a little further, both within Japan and abroad, and establishing himself in the Visual-Kei scene and Japanese metal industry. As part of the meeting, Ukitake had called in Soifon, the agent who’d helped plan out Black Moon’s first tour, and who would help plan some gigs for Byakuya in January.

At Ukitake’s question, Byakuya nodded slightly.

“I’m… I’m a little surprised, to be honest,” Byakuya admitted tentatively. “I never expected it to get this popular already.”

“Oi, oi, what are you saying?” Kaien asked in surprise. “Have some faith in yourself, Byakuya! Your career is already taking off and you’re surprised about your album being popular?”

“Now, now, Kaien,” Miyako interrupted calmly. “Don’t be too hard on Byakuya for being surprised.”

Ukitake chuckled slightly. “Well, you’ve just received a request to do a photoshoot for the January issue of _Cure._ What do you say, Byakuya-kun?”

“I’ll do it,” Byakuya said. “I’ve only done one magazine photoshoot so far, and I wouldn’t mind doing another one, I suppose.”

“Very well then,” Ukitake said. “I’ll inform the editor of _Cure.”_

“Now then, moving onto your gigs,” Soifon said. “Because you are starting out, it would be best for you to perform in the smaller live houses. However, considering the amount of fans you have already gathered, you might just be able to get away with performing at some of the slightly bigger venues. I’ve already contacted some of the venues who are willing to have you perform.”

Glancing at the list, Byakuya realized he’d heard these names before. Back when Hisana had been incredibly popular, she would sometimes do tours in the smaller venues and live houses. Places like Club Citta in Kawasaki, Namba Hatch in Osaka, Shinjuku Blaze, and Shibuya O-East, these were all venues that Hisana had performed in at some point.

“These are the major live houses for a lot of artists who are starting out,” Soifon was saying. “Because they’re in the major cities, it’ll be easier for your music to reach wider audiences. My recommendation is that you start out at a smaller venue in Tokyo, like Shinjuku Blaze, which will help your music reach out within the city. Then you should move to the more famous venues like Club Citta and Namba Hatch before finishing with another gig within Tokyo.”

“Will four gigs be enough?” Byakuya asked.

“In these venues? Yes, four gigs will definitely be enough,” Soifon said.

After planning and discussing the upcoming lives, it was time for Byakuya’s first autograph session at the Shinagawa Stellar Ball at the Prince Hotel in the Shinagawa district. This was something that Hisana occasionally did after releasing an album: the same day, she would also have an autograph session for fans. But Byakuya wasn’t going to be the only one signing autographs; all of Nejibana would be signing the fans’ album copies as well.

Byakuya had insisted that they also be at the autograph session, since they were just as important and they had helped a lot on the album. He wanted the fans to understand that as well.

The session would be for an hour and would start at two in the afternoon. But of course, they had to get there early enough to set things up, get ready, and to record two comment videos: one for Vizards TV and one for Kawaii Kakkoi Sugoi, an Japanese pop culture blog based in Los Angeles.

The drive from the studio to the Prince Hotel didn’t take too long. Now they were in the dressing room, changing into their outfits and getting their makeup done while discussing other mundane things.

Having changed into his outfit from his first gig at the Meguro Rokumeikan, Byakuya sat in front of the mirror as the stylist applied the same makeup on his face. The stylist had just finished applying the eyeliner and eyeshadow when Byakuya heard his phone vibrate with a new message, so he picked it up to see a message from Renji.

_Wanted to tell you this earlier: your album is amazing! Listened to the whole thing on the shinkansen, loved all the songs :)_

Byakuya smiled slightly at the message. He would have to call him later on so he could know which songs Renji liked the most.

Seeing this, Ukitake smiled knowingly at Byakuya. “Message from Renji-kun?” he asked.

“Yes,” Byakuya said. “He just told me that he likes the album.”

“It feels great when someone you love likes your work, doesn’t it?” Ukitake said. “Reminds me of how Shunsui gets whenever I praise his music videos. He’s always so happy when I help him out and tell him my thoughts.”

“You missing Renji-kun already?” Tsukishima asked.

“A little bit, yes,” Byakuya said.

Miyako smiled gently. “Well, don’t worry, Byakuya,” she said. “Renji will be back before you know it.”

Once the stylist finished applying makeup on Byakuya’s face, she took care of the others’ makeup while Byakuya went to record his Vizards TV comment video in the Stellar Ball. When the camera started rolling, Byakuya introduced himself.

“Hello, Vizards TV, this is Byakuya,” he said before bowing.

Standing up straight, he continued.

“Today, ‘Hakuteiken’ releases in all stores across Japan, Europe, and North America,” he said. “I have worked hard on this album and I hope you all enjoy it. In addition, I will be performing this album live in January. The venues and dates will be on my website, so please check it out as soon as you can. I would like to thank you all for your support, I wouldn’t have come this far without it.”

After a little bit more talking, he finished. Then, Byakuya was going to basically say the same thing for the American blog, except he would introduce himself in French and English. So when the camera started rolling again, Byakuya made sure to smile a little bit as he spoke.

 _“Bonjour. Je suis Byakuya, and you are watching Kawaii Kakkoi Sugoi,”_ he said, hoping that his English was okay. He then basically said the same thing he’d said for his Vizards TV comment and then finished with a bow before going to sit behind the table set up for him.

Shortly after that, the members of Nejibana came in and sat behind their table, all of them dressed up with makeup applied to their faces.

Then, a few moments later, the doors opened and a fairly-long line of fans filed inside the hall. First, they would get their album copies signed by the members of Nejibana before heading down to Byakuya’s table.

The first fan was a young woman in her mid-twenties who held two albums in her hands, much to Byakuya’s curiosity. Upon seeing Byakuya, her eyes almost sparkled as she tentatively approached him. In order to make her feel at ease, Byakuya gave her a gentle smile, which only made her blush profusely as she handed him her copy of ‘Hakuteiken’.

As Byakuya signed the front cover with a gold Sharpie, inscribing an elegant cursive autograph flourished with a small camellia pattern, he heard the woman speak up. “Um, Byakuya-kun?”

He glanced up and noticed that she was fidgeting slightly.

“I hope it’s not too much, but… I was wondering if you could sign this as well?” She held out the second album: a copy of _Midnight Infinity,_ Hisana’s best-selling album.

Byakuya was genuinely surprised. However, he felt incredibly touched for some reason. With a soft smile, he nodded.

“I’d be glad to,” he said, taking the album.

He signed the album cover right below Hisana’s signature before handing it back along with ‘Hakuteiken’. “Thank you for coming,” he said.

The woman’s eyes brightened as she accepted her albums and bowed. “Thank you so much!” she said happily.

As the session continued, Byakuya noticed that majority of the fans who showed up were young women in either their late teens or their early to mid-twenties. Some of them looked to be university students as well, and surprisingly, Byakuya swore he saw a couple of high school students in the line.

But what truly surprised Byakuya was the fact that some of the fans also happened to be fans of both Hisana and Black Moon. So many of them had such sweet things to say to him, and hearing their praises made his heart grow warm. It was honestly amazing, how sweet the fans could be.

Some of the fans also asked questions in between signing albums, some of which Byakuya wasn’t prepared to answer.

“Is it true that you and Renji-kun are really close?” a young woman asked eagerly.

Byakuya looked at her in surprise, blushing slightly. “Um, well…” he trailed off before carefully choosing his words. “He’s a very good friend. I like him and I’m grateful to have him as a friend.”

The woman and her friend giggled as Byakuya handed them both their album copies back.

At some point, Byakuya actually saw three international fans in the line. One was from America, another from France, and another from Mexico. It was funny because Byakuya attempted to speak in English with them, but all three of them were speaking in Japanese to him. Sure, it was basic stuff like ‘thank you so much’, but that was fine. The French girl also told him that he was so beautiful, which made Byakuya blush a little bit.

There were a few more surprises in the lineup after that. All of the Tres Bestias had shown up for the signing, and Halibel had told Byakuya that she genuinely loved his album. And then Unohana Retsu herself showed up towards the end, which had made Byakuya both thrilled and a little bit nervous.

As Unohana approached Byakuya’s table, she smiled gently at him. “Congratulations, Byakuya-kun,” she praised as she handed her album copy to him. “You did quite well on your first album.”

Byakuya smiled slightly as he signed the album. While he didn’t show it on his face, he was actually really excited. “Thank you, Unohana-san,” he said.

“I’d like to talk to you afterwards,” she said. “Is that alright?”

“Yes, of course,” Byakuya said.

Later on, Grimmjow and Nelliel also showed up for the signing session, to Byakuya’s pleasant surprise. Nelliel had told him that the album was incredibly beautiful and that even Grimmjow had liked it.

“Seriously, though,” she was saying. “Your voice is just so beautiful and your lyrics are just gorgeous!”

“Thank you,” Byakuya said with a small smile, handing them their album back. “I’m glad you like my lyrics.”

Grimmjow smiled as he accepted it. “Yeah, you should totally do a concert with Black Moon,” he said. “It’ll be pretty awesome.”

“I’ll see about that,” Byakuya responded as they left.

A live with Black Moon? That actually sounded pretty fun, Byakuya thought.

Eventually, the session finished and Byakuya headed to the dressing room to change and wash off the makeup.

“So, what did you think of your first autograph session?” Ukitake asked as Byakuya wiped the water off his face with a towel.

“It went well,” Byakuya said. “Unohana-san actually showed up and wanted to talk to me afterwards.”

Ukitake looked pleasantly surprised. “Really? That’s wonderful!” he said sincerely.

“The fans were really cute,” Kaien laughed. “There were some foreign fans in the line and they tried speaking Japanese to us when we were trying to speak English with them.”

“One of them spoke Spanish to me, but it was very different,” Ulquiorra said.

“And did Starrk manage to stay awake?” Ukitake asked.

“Don’t worry, I was awake,” Starrk said, rolling his eyes as he removed his blazer.

Once he’d changed into his regular clothes, Byakuya left the dressing room and went outside into the lobby of the Prince Hotel, where he saw Unohana waiting for him. Upon seeing him, she smiled softly.

“How about we get some coffee?” she suggested. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.”

“That does sound nice, thank you.”

A short while later, Byakuya found himself seated across from Unohana as they sat in a small café. Byakuya had a cup of black coffee while Unohana had a macchiato and a plate with a slice of coffee cake.

After a sip of coffee, Byakuya spoke first. “How is everything going for you, Unohana-san?” he asked.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Unohana said. “Yachiru and Kenpachi are also doing fine. Yachiru’s in school and Kenpachi and I are busy with work, so that’s life, I suppose. And you, Byakuya-kun? How did the rest of the session go?”

“It went well,” Byakuya said. “The fans were very sweet and kind, and I enjoyed getting to meet them.”

Unohana chuckled at that. “Yes, the first autograph session is always exciting, especially for the artist,” she agreed. “But how does it feel, having released your first album?”

“I… I don’t really know what to say,” Byakuya admitted. “I’m grateful for all the support I’ve been getting and I suppose I’m… looking forward to what is in store for the future.”

“Things are a lot different from how they were when I first started my career as a metal singer,” Unohana said. “You definitely have a promising future, Byakuya-kun. So I’d like to give you some advice.”

She laughed lightly at the look of surprise and mild awe on Byakuya’s face. “What is it?”

Byakuya averted his eyes, suddenly feeling shy. “Well…” he trailed off. “I’ve looked up to you for a long time now, and knowing that someone I look up to is about to give me advice is rather…” He shook his head. “It’s actually pretty exciting.”

Unohana smiled. “As I said before, things are a lot different than how they were back then, especially the Visual-Kei movement,” she started. “You’re doing Visual-Kei, am I correct?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, Visual-Kei isn’t as underground or shocking as it was back in the Eighties and Nineties,” Unohana said. “The reason why it was so appealing back when it emerged is because it explores the boundaries of androgyny, explicitness, aesthetics, and new styles of music. These days, however, a lot of artists are encouraged to have a hands-on approach for marketing.”

She took a sip of coffee before continuing. “One thing you need to remember is that more than the visuals and looks, it’s the music that is truly important,” she said. “In the future, if you ever need to look for inspiration, head back to the roots of Visual-Kei, or even explore your own roots as an artist. Kenpachi does this quite a lot; he’ll trace back to the beginning of his career and his sound back then, and go from there.”

“I’ve heard of artists doing that,” Byakuya said.

Unohana nodded. “Ultimately, however, Visual-Kei is about expressing your kind of art in however way you choose,” she said. “You may be accused of ‘selling out’ by fans, you may face a lot of criticism if you ever explore a different genre, but don’t ever let it hold you back. It’s important to keep on moving forward.”

Byakuya nodded slowly as he let her words sink in. “Thank you,” he said.

“As I said, you have a promising future, Byakuya-kun,” she said. “You’re talented, you have a way with writing lyrics, and you have quite the ear for music. And I look forward to hearing more of your music in the future.”

“Thank you,” Byakuya said, feeling quite thrilled. “I truly appreciate your advice.”

Unohana smiled almost motherly. “Now then, I’ve been hearing rumours that you and Renji-kun from Black Moon are quite close,” she said, her eyes glinting slightly. “What do you have to say about that?”

To his dismay, Byakuya’s face felt much warmer, and he averted his eyes again as Unohana laughed gracefully.

“Well… yes, he and I are friends,” he said, ignoring the knowing look on Unohana’s face. “He helped me start my career, actually.”

“How sweet!” Unohana said sincerely. “Sounds to me like you two are quite close indeed.”

Once more, Byakuya found himself blushing as Unohana laughed fondly.

* * *

Renji had performed in a lot of concert venues by now, but the Yokosuka Arts Theatre was by far the classiest venue he’d seen. The foyer itself was elegant, which said a lot about the kind of venue it was.

That being said, the Yokosuka Arts Theatre was a huge horseshoe-shaped theatre, the kind that was often used for classical music concerts and orchestra performances. There were even four levels of balcony and side seats. And in terms of acoustics, the sound was absolutely high-quality, as they’d found out during their rehearsals and sound checks.

Hell, even the dressing room was really nice. It was spacious, well-lit, and had plenty of room for their costumes, makeup, and other equipment.

“Can you believe how nice this place is?” Hisagi asked as Yumichika ran a comb through his hair. “Like, this is probably the nicest live house I’ve ever been in.”

“Yeah, this place is pretty amazing,” Ichigo agreed. “The acoustics are also great! This is definitely gonna be a great show tonight!”

Currently, they were all in the dressing room, getting ready for the show. Renji had already changed into his outfit and had his hair and makeup done, so he was just on his phone and sitting on the couch along with Chad while the others were getting ready. And as this went on, Hisagi’s iPod was playing the music video of Tousen Kaname’s “Last Song” from a wireless speaker.

As Renji was mentally rehearsing the setlist, his phone started ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, he was pleased to see that it was Byakuya calling. Smiling slightly, he picked up his phone and answered the call.

“Hey, babe,” he said, getting up from the couch and moving somewhere else to talk. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going well for me,” Byakuya said from the other end. “You’re not too busy right now, are you?”

“There’s still a while left before the show starts, about twenty minutes or so. I got time,” Renji reassured. “I just wanted to say that ‘Hakuteiken’ is awesome. Your songs are amazing.”

He could hear the smile in Byakuya’s voice when he answered. “Thank you,” he said. “Which ones did you like?”

“‘Noblesse’ was really good, and I also liked that ‘La Vie en Rose’ song,” Renji told him. “And that song ‘Trésor’... that one was just so beautiful. It was simple and your voice was just really good.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Again, Byakuya sounded genuinely pleased.

“How’d your first autograph session go?” Renji asked.

“It went pretty well, actually,” he said. “The fans were really kind. One of them wanted me to sign a copy of Hisana’s best-selling album as well, and your friends Grimmjow and Nelliel also showed up.”

Renji raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes, and Grimmjow told me that I should do a joint concert with Black Moon. What do you think of that?”

Renji couldn’t help but smile at that. “That… actually sounds pretty awesome,” he said. “Anyone else show up?”

Byakuya told him more about the signing session, particularly about how Unohana Retsu had shown up and even took him out for coffee afterwards. He sounded quite thrilled, albeit in a subdued manner, and Renji smiled as he listened to him recall the experience.

“And you, Renji?” Byakuya asked. “You had another signing session today, right? What was that like?”

“It was fun,” Renji said. “We actually saw a couple of foreign fans in the lineup as well, and that was pretty cool. But you should see the Yokosuka Arts Theatre, it’s such a classy place. Hell, it’s the nicest venue I’ve ever been in so far.”

“I’ve been to the Yokosuka Arts Theatre for a classical music performance,” Byakuya said. “It is indeed a very nice theatre. The sound is quite good as well.”

Renji was about to say more when Yoruichi came up to him. “You’ll be going onstage soon, so you should hurry,” she told him.

With a nod, Renji decided to quickly end the call. “Okay, I gotta go onstage soon, so I’ll talk to you later?”

“Very well. Good luck, Renji,” Byakuya said.

“Thanks, babe.”

With that, Renji ended the call and set his phone aside before heading to meet up with his bandmates, who were ready to head onstage.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Hitsugaya asked them. “Let’s do this, people!”

“Hell yeah!” Renji said, a surge of confidence and excitement rushing through his veins.

They headed out of the dressing room and into the wings, where they could hear the sound of a large crowd cheering as the opening track started up. Red lights were flashing and smoke poured from the smoke machines onto the stage, and when their cue came, they walked onstage. At that point the cheers had become almost deafening.

When Renji slung his guitar over his shoulder, he noticed that practically the entire venue was filled with fans. He even saw some up in the side seats. It was awesome, knowing that they were playing for a full house tonight. A small smile crossed his face. He was going to give these fans the best show of their lives.

Then the ambient opening of ‘Gomi Tame’ started up and Ichigo was singing. And then the beat dropped with Ichigo’s growling and Renji was headbanging while shredding the chords on his guitar. Not only did they sound amazing in the hall, but Renji was just so energized right now. He could practically feel the energy and rhythm in his body as he flipped his hair over his shoulder and grinned at the cheering fans while playing.

Before he knew it, ‘Gomi Tame’ had finished, and ‘Stray Dog’ was opening up to the cheers of the crowd.

“Alright, Yokosuka!” Ichigo shouted as Renji and Hisagi goaded the crowd on. “Let’s do this!”

As the crowd cheered again, Renji lost himself in the energy and music. Right now, he was on top of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Kawaii Kakkoi Sugoi is a blog about Japanese pop culture, mainly anime, manga, and music, that is based in Los Angeles. The reason why I chose this is because Kamijo, the musician that Byakuya is based on in this series, did a comment video for this blog.
> 
> The Stellar Ball and the Prince Hotel are real places in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo. The Prince Hotel company is a line of luxury hotels operating not just in Japan but also in Hawaii, particularly Mauna Kea and Waikiki. The Shinagawa Prince Hotel in particular has access to various entertainment facilities in Shinagawa, and also to both the Haneda and Narita Airports in Tokyo.
> 
> The Yokosuka Arts Theatre (Yokosuka Geijutsu Gekijou in Japanese) is located in the city of Yokosuka in the Kanagawa Prefecture as part of the Bay Square complex. There is both a large hall that seats 1,806 people and a smaller hall that has a capacity for 600 people.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


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